Tag Archives: kxt on broadway

Review: Babyteeth (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jul 18 – Aug 2, 2025
Playwright: Rita Kalnejais
Director: Kim Hardwick
Cast: Jane Angharad, Philip D’Ambrosio, Esha Jessy, Jeda Osorio, Campbell Parsons, James Smithers, Rachel Thomas
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Milla is only 14 and dying of a terminal illness when she meets Moses, a 23-year-old drifter. As their sexual relationship unfolds, her parents, grappling with the imminence of her death, choose to tolerate the dubious romance in the hope it brings her some joy. Babyteeth by Rita Kalnejais may be criticised for courting controversy without adequate justification, but setting aside its arguably precarious moral stance, the play remains an intriguing work.

Kim Hardwick’s direction is marked by a lightness of touch that lends the production a certain grace, though at times this subtlety borders on vagueness, leaving the production’s intentions feeling somewhat unclear. Lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole and sound by Michael Huxley, are both subtle in execution, occasionally striking but generally unobtrusive in how they support the storytelling.

Actor Rachel Thomas is convincing as a teenager, with a vulnerability that makes Milla an endearing personality. Campbell Parsons brings extraordinary naturalism to the role of Moses, coupled with a confident pacing that truly mesmerises. Milla’s parents are played by Jane Angharad and James Smithers, with unassailable commitment. Philip D’Ambrosio and Esha Jessy offer wonderful comedic dimensions that provide much needed uplift to the experience, as does Jeda Osorio who proves a delightful presence.

It is rare to be given an opportunity to examine someone like Moses. Our instinct is to see him vilified and punished, but Babyteeth leaves that act of castigation to the viewers themselves. This of course is a dangerous choice, one that opens the door for the depraved to impose repugnant interpretations, even going so far as to advocate for behaviour that ought to be regarded as unequivocally heinous. Milla dies in Babyteeth, but we can only imagine what Moses moves on to, after the curtain falls.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.whiteboxtheatre.com.au

Review: Blackbird (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jun 25 – Jul 5, 2025
Playwright: David Harrower
Director: Pippa Thoroughgood
Cast: Charlotte De Wit, Lilly Kime, Phil McGrath
Images by Ravyna Jassani

Theatre review
Una goes to confront her perpetrator Ray, years after being sexually assaulted as a 12-year-old. There may be no moral ambiguity as to what wrong has been committed, but human emotions are complicated, and the meeting reveals unexpected layers to their illicit relationship.

Blackbird by David Harrower is a disturbing and dangerous work, taking an honest look at child sexual abuse which involves real feelings that are often overlooked. Direction by Pippa Thoroughgood emphasises the naturalism of the piece, but has a tendency to lack nuance, for the highly complex situation being interrogated. 

Performers Charlotte De Wit and Phil McGrath are convincing in their roles, both demonstrating admirable commitment to the experience. While greater intricacy and specificity could enhance their interpretation of characters and story, they nonetheless present moments of undeniable excellence on stage.

We are shocked by Una’s behaviour, yet we understand the person she has become. There needs always to be clear-cut rules around the violation of innocence, but we must also be able to acknowledge the myriad consequences that are inconvenient and troubling. The severity of harm suffered by our young is such that its effects often endure lifelong and remain deeply disquieting.  Survivors deserve support, especially when situations seem unreasonably difficult.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.herproductions.com.au

Review: The Anarchy 1138-53 (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), May 22-31, 2025
Creators: Pat Fielding, Chelsea Hickman, Kerith Manderson-Galvin, Tobias Manderson-Galvin, Dr Tom Payne
Cast: Kerith Manderson-Galvin, Tobias Manderson-Galvin
Images by Skye Gellmann

Theatre review
It is ostensibly a show about a civil war in 12th century England and Normandy. The very many words written for the verbose script of The Anarchy (1138-53), however, seem not to be of great importance in this telling of a story, that proves much more to be about the act of telling, than it is about the story itself. Kerith and Tobias Manderson-Galvin have prepared a great amount of copy, but their performance wants us almost to ignore their verbal regurgitations, and instead find alternative ways to pay attention, to a work of theatre determined to create unusual resonances.

Inevitable in this experience perhaps, are recollections of the Dadaist ethos, with its rejection of bourgeois aesthetics, its embrace of absurdity, and its simultaneous construction and deconstruction of artistic form. This can all be tiresome, academic and dry, but the Manderson-Galvins are so resolutely present as theatre-makers, that we find ourselves delighted and apprehensive, in equal measure, as they keep us riveted to their every bizarre manoeuvre. Theatre is ancient, but it can still communicate through new languages. For The Anarchy (1138-53), we keep finding different ways to ingest this abstract presentation, testing how our humanity can interact with stimuli of this nature. We explore the meaning of meaning, in a strange work like this, wondering where the phenomenon of understanding begins and ends.

When art is bewildering, it is rarely engaging. Thankfully, with its chaotic magnetism, The Anarchy (1138-53) proves itself to be curious but enjoyably so. Its charisma insists that we stay attentive, even if the payoff at every juncture, feels unfamiliar. When things are predictable and always the same, we stop questioning it. That which is uninterrogated holds power over us. Undoubtedly, it is comforting to encounter circumstances that feel natural, normal or ordinary, even if we know that nefarious elements will try to make themselves invisible and undetectable. So much of our ills is buried under the guise of blandness, which must be partly why James Baldwin declared, that “artists are here to disturb the peace.”

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.doppelgangster.com

Review: IRL (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Apr 25 – May 10, 2025
Playwright: Lewis Trestin
Director: Eugene Lynch
Cast: Andrew Fraser, Bridget Haberecht, Dominic Lui, Leon Walshe
Images by Justin Cueno

Theatre review
Tumblr was still a thing, when teenage best friends Alexei and Taylor attended a pop culture convention in cosplay, asking big questions about identity and reality. IRL by Lewis Trestin explores that perennial search for truth, from the perspective of those born in the digital era. Immersed in facsimile representations of personalities through electronic devices, and absorbed in commercialised prescriptions of humanity, characters in IRL endure intense challenges as they try to find themselves, in Trestin’s reflective but thoroughly mischievous play.

Direction by Eugene Lynch is commensurately vibrant, with an infectious spiritedness that keeps us invested in its wildly-imagined coming-of-age narrative. Cassidy McDermott-Smith’s choreography is an unequivocal delight, for a highly animated show that never shies away from physical comedy. Set design by Lochie Odgers is somewhat subdued, but costumes by Lily Mateljan and lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole ensure that imagery is consistently colourful and vivacious. Sound by Daniel Herten too is an uplifting feature, making believable all the outlandish expressions of youthful angst.

The piece is performed brilliantly by an immensely dedicated cast. Andrew Fraser brings extravagance, relentless but deliberate with the campness he introduces to Alexei, a queer high schooler on the cusp of puppy love. Bridget Haberecht delivers with considerable power, speeches that address directly the political concerns of a new generation, whilst delivering some truly delicious theatricality with her embrace of Taylor’s surreal world. Leon Walshe is very likeable as Thaddeus, a role he plays with admirable precision and persuasive focus. Dominic Lui is a charming scene stealer, incredibly funny with his idiosyncratic and perfectly timed manoeuvres, in a variety of roles that he makes hilarious in surprising ways. 

It is easy to come to a conclusion that perhaps nothing is real, but in IRL we are once again reminded that for all the unpredictabilities, whims and fluctuations of existence, it is always connection that proves meaningful. We can spend all our lives in self-examination, but little compares to the instances of when people connect, when we discover in those moments of authentic resonance, that everything else falls readily into disintegration.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.theothertheatre.com.au

Review: These Youths Be Protesting (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Apr 4 -19, 2025
Playwright: Izabella Louk
Director: Izabella Louk
Cast: Hamish Alexander, Karrine Kanaan, Rachel Thomas, Mây Trần
Images by Karla Elbourne

Theatre review
An initiative originally intended as a simple recycling program at a high school, unexpectedly escalates into a social media controversy, involving mining corporations and political figures. The four teenagers in Izabella Louk’s These Youths Be Protesting have little in common, but circumstances demand that they partner up and fight, should they wish to have a say in their own future.

There is considerable wit in Louk’s writing, and coupled with an irrepressible effervescence derived from her own direction of the work, These Youths Be Protesting proves to be an engaging experience, as well as an inspiring call to action regarding our current state of environmental degradation.

Actors Karrine Kanaan and Mây Trần bring gravity to the piece, while Hamish Alexander and Rachel Thomas are remembered for their endearing humour. They play distinct characters, but achieve commendable cohesiveness. Energetic and committed, the cast keeps us attentive and convinced of the important, but uncontroversial, message of conservation activism.

Dramatic intensity is further enhanced by Marc Simonini’s thoughtful music compositions, while Caitlyn Cowan’s lights deliver a sense of visual theatricality, to this story of an unusual school week. Set design by Paris Bell does wonders with recycled cardboard, introducing valuable vibrancy with its bold colour palette.

No matter the epoch, it is in our nature to fight for survival. For many though, complacency can set in, along with weariness and disillusionment, but we can always rely on the fervour of youthful angst and indignation, to be new guiding lights at every step of our evolution.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.instagram.com/blinkinglight.theatre

Review: Ophelia Thinks Harder (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Mar 14 – 29, 2025
Playwright: Jean Betts and W Shakespeare
Director: Alex Kendall Robson
Cast: Zachary Aleksander, Julie Bettens, Eleni Cassimatis, Shaw Cameron, Richard Hilliar, Brea Macey, Pat Mandziy, Lucy Miller, Finley Penrose, Hannah Raven
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Written in 1993, Jean Betts’ Ophelia Thinks Harder seems today almost desperate in its need to demonstrate, that Shakespeare’s women are no fools, even if Shakespeare had intended them to be portrayed as such. How we perceive of the Bard’s oeuvre has changed in recent years, thanks to efforts of those just like Betts, who have had enough of the gendered denigration inherent in his ubiquitous writing.

Even though strong and considered, Ophelia Thinks Harder does feel superseded in its attitude. Direction by Alex Kendall Robson offers little that could provide an update, to a style of feminist theatre that seems very much of the previous wave. Performer Brea Macey is convincing as a disturbed Ophelia, intense in her portrayal of a young woman awaking to the injustice that she is destined for. Shaw Cameron impresses as a comical but despicable Hamlet, as does Lucy Miller who brings a valuable irony to her measured depictions of the play’s maternal characters.

A visually pleasing set design by Hannah Yardley and Jimi Rawlings proves effective in addressing various scenic requirements. Costumes by Robson are inconsistently rendered, with some pieces more imaginatively assembled than others. Lighting by Sophie Parker can be more detailed in approach, but is nonetheless skilled in calibrating atmospheric transformations. Sounds by David Wilson too can be more rigorous in their enhancements, but are successful in implementing a sense of drama at key moments.

For some, all this debate about Shakespeare is tired to say the least, but his omnipresence in the West remains undeniable. We can see the extent to which his legacy is fundamental to the ways we regard the arts, and how pervasive his influence has been, in our assessments of merit in theatre. Feminism should want to make him irrelevant, to make all that he stands for no longer central to how we experience the world, but the patriarchy’s obstinance is one of its main features. A thorn in the side insists on wearing a person down, but it also functions as a reminder of the bigger harms it is always poised to reinstate.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.fingerlesstheatre.com

Review: Don’t Save Me (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Feb 26 – Mar 8, 2025
Playwright: Karina Young
Director: Nelson Blake
Cast: Raechyl French, Ben Itaba, Holly Mazzola
Images by Phil Erbacher

Theatre review
Jade is not only battling a terminal illness, she has to fight her husband Pat who plans to create a digital facsimile of her, using the latest in AI technology. As well as the subject of consent, Don’t Save Me by Karina Young explores the ethics around the replication or simulation of a person after death. Although timely, the play is insufficiently imaginative, with a persistent mundanity to its dialogue that makes a fascinating concept seem almost banal.

Direction by Nelson Blake places emphasis on locating the emotional truth of the piece, and little more, resulting in an experience that feels somewhat pedestrian. There is however a great sense of commitment on the stage, with cast members Raechyl French, Ben Itaba and Holly Mazzola, bringing diligence to their interpretations of characters.

Production design by Andrea Knezevic offers efficient solutions that transform the space into a conventional living room. Lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole help render an elegance to the imagery being presented, and sounds by Felix Partos are introduced at key moments to enhance tension.

Don’t Save Me is not quite science fiction, as the circumstance it depicts has already arrived, yet we are still struggling to grapple with that new reality. Technology forges ahead whether we welcome or resist it. We have in the past been able to shape its development, but in this age of tech autocracy, there is little that our democratic will can do.

The billionaires who rule technology are completely impervious to any of our objections. We continue to think that how we spend our money is able to sway their operations, but it is evident that their wealth has become so immense that any reduction in profit we can effect, no longer means anything. Legal recourses have proven ineffectual, even as they are being taken over by a new era of oligarchy. It is only revolution that remains, but it is doubtful if we can awaken soon enough, from this soporific state of our tech-fuelled stupor.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.instagram.com/puncherschanceco/

Review: Cruise (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Feb 12 – 22, 2025
Playwright: Jack Holden
Director: Sean Landis
Cast: Fraser Morrison
Images by Abraham de Souza

Theatre review
Almost four decades on, Michael still needs to talk about the trauma, and fortunately, his story is one that younger generations will always need to hear. HIV may no longer be the death sentence it used to be, but it is in many ways an enduring tragedy that continues to reverberate deeply for queer communities everywhere.

Michael’s reminiscences are not only about those he has lost, but also about the burden those of us left behind, have had to carry. Survivor guilt and social stigma are issues that prompt Michael to call a helpline, at the start of Jack Holden’s Cruise, but as well as being sublimely mournful, the play is also packed with joy. Michael’s personal history is one of liberation – from tradition, from persecution, and from debilitating disease.

The immense depth of Holden’s writing delivers a theatrical experience that many will find powerful, if not completely transcendental. Coupled with dynamic and incisive work by Sean Landis on direction, Cruise is profoundly reflective, along with being fabulously and irresistibly entertaining.

Actor Fraser Morrison delivers this one-person show with a wonderful sincerity that invites our open hearts to observe and share in all the pain, redemption and exaltation, that he so assiduously brings to the stage. Morrison’s capacity for a great range of temperaments and attitudes, keeps us enthralled as he portrays countless characters, in this important recollection of a gay legacy. Assisted by choreographer Jeremy Lloyd’s sophisticated eye in movement, Morrison’s physicality is framed with considerable beauty, in his depictions of gay lives past and present.

Production design by Chelsea May Wheatley provides effective spatial demarcations that allow for a kineticism that the presentation uses to generate urgency. Wheatley’s sound design is admirably thorough, inspiring strong visceral responses to a show that contains an abundance of sentimentality. Lights by Tom Hicks are sensitively and imaginatively rendered, cleverly transportive as we explore time and space in both internal and external, or psychic and material ways.

The trajectory for us can only be forward, but as perpetual outsiders, the journey is always turbulent and arduous. We can always see brighter futures, and even in the darkest moments, we have been able to summon optimism and faith, not only for the betterment of our spirit, but also to propel us ahead in achieving actual improvements for all our lives.

HIV did kill many of us at the end of the previous century, but there is no question that we have emerged to thrive spectacularly in so many ways. Today a new backlash is taking hold, especially against those of us who dare to express gender in authentic but unorthodox ways. There is no certainty about how we are to win this battle, but there can be no doubt that we will once again prevail.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.fruitboxtheatre.com.au

Review: Wally (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Jan 24 – Feb 8, 2025
Playwright: Nick Vagne
Director: Amelia Gilday
Cast: Alicia Badger, Andrew Badger, Madison Chippendale, Lana Filies, Tammie Harper, Iley Jones, Suz Mawer, Nick Vagne, Chad Traupmann
Images by Amelia Gilday

Theatre review
Lou and Suzie have lost their young son, and as they try to mourn his passing, shocking revelations about circumstances around his death are making things even harder. Wally by Nick Vagne is a murder mystery that takes its drama to risky spaces involving the tricky subject of child abuse. Some might consider it a valuable initiation of discussions on the subject, and others might think it sensationalist. In any case, viewers will need to be prepared to be exposed to these sensitive issues, even if the staging is careful to not be excessive with its enactments.

Directed by Amelia Gilday, Wally proves an intriguing experience, if slightly confusing in sections, with the inclusion of red herrings and tangents to the narrative, that are typical of the genre. Set and costume designs by Margot Politis offer simple solutions, for scenic locations and character types. Lights by Alicia Badger, along with sounds by Frank Dwyer, are particularly effective in the enhancement of tension for this dark story.

Actor Madison Chippendale plays Lou with convincing emotional intensity, and Suz Mawer as Suzie provides a foundation of authenticity, so that the show communicates at some level of validity. Abilities of other cast members are mixed, but there is sufficient commitment by all, to keep our attention sustained throughout. The stakes are so high in Wally that when we get to the revelatory end, the pay off that we uncover, was probably always going to be somewhat underwhelming.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.moonbureau.com

Review: The Pigeons (KXT on Broadway)

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Venue: KXT on Broadway (Ultimo NSW), Dec 7 – 21, 2024
Playwright: David Gieselmann
Director: Eugene Lynch
Cast: Tel Benjamin, Lib Campbell, Micaela Ellis, Kath Gordon, Jackson Hurwood, Kandice Joy, Mark Langham, Andrew Lindqvist, Dominic Lui
Images by Justin Cueno

Theatre review
Robert has had enough of the rat race and is calling it quits. Things in the office are always chaotic anyway, so his disappearance seems not to have changed the tone of daily life very much. Any interpretation of its narrative however, is probably not of much importance for David Gieselmann’s The Pigeons, in which form and style take precedence over actual content or story.

Direction by Eugene Lynch, along with choreography by Cassidy McDermott-Smith, introduce a great amount of frenzied energy to the piece, but never quite draws us into any real fascination with the artistic experimentations taking place on stage, only becoming increasingly alienating over the course. The cast can be credited for their undeniable investment into the experience, with players like Tel Benjamin, Lib Campbell and Kath Gordon leaving good impressions with their rendering of comedic moments when opportunities arise.

Costumes by Lily Mateljan may only mimic dreary aspects of humdrum normalcy, but a moment of extraordinary absurdity involving a necktie, certainly proves delightful. An adaptive set design by Lochie Odgers too delivers an element of surprise in later portions of the show. Lights by Topaz Marlay-Cole are well considered, but available equipment proves restrictive in the implementation of the designer’s more creative ideas. Music and sounds by Christine Pan, often delightfully performed live, are effective in reminding our sensibilities to venture somewhere surreal.

Pigeons have a homing instinct that means they always come back. Our human nature can be thought of as something that always wishes to return to square one, but evidence suggests that we are capable of breaking out and moving forward. Art especially should have the capacity to resist repetition, and our artists can be relied on, to introduce new ways of thinking and being, even if the ways they choose to challenge us, can be difficult.

www.kingsxtheatre.com | www.theothertheatre.com.au